Hello all, and greetings from an avid BJ- (and other local card games) tournaments player from Belgium ! Before I ask my very first question to you, experts, I'd especially like to first thank Ken, Gronbog, Monkeysystem, the Pro, LeftNut etc. and the regulars for all the valuable tips they openly shared here since so many years. No doubt they boosted my own game a lot ! But also, given the average (mainland) european TBJ player's level, there's no doubt the fellow US forum members here would commit massacre after massacre if they happened to fly to and play on this side of the Ocean ! Ok, enough flattery for now, I wish you a fruitful summertime ! (PS : pardon my english)
Welcome aboard, and good luck on your blackjack tournament exploits! Share your experiences with us sometime!
Welcome, KungFox! Don't be afraid to ask us anything you like, someone will be able to help. And if a BJT that sounds excellent pops up on your side of the "pond", post it here & some of the regulars would be happy to fly there to meet you.
Thank you all for your welcoming reception ! To be completely honest with you, I don't consider myself a beginner in the field, but now that the average level in Europe, and especially in Belgium/Germany, becomes noticeably higher every year, I felt like I couldn't simply stick to Ken's advice any longer, according to which "most tournaments are won with just the basics, and a little luck", a quote I made mine nine years ago when I started playing AND organizing BJTs (to promote the idea). So I decided to address the "major league of tbj"... I now would like to submit a kind of poll to you, speaking of "excellent tourneys" : - For what kind of tournaments (with what rules, what payouts etc.) would you be ready to take a plane from the US to Europe in order to participate ? Thanks again for sharing !
100,000 for first. 5 figures for 2nd thru 5th. Surrender. BJ 3-2 Double after split. Split to 4 hands(could exclude A's, as most do.) Rotating button. At least 20 hands. 2 and 3 advance thru rounds to semis. Wild cards in quarter and semi finals. One wild card to final. Up to $1,000 buy in. Rebuys, half of original buy in. Reduced or comped accommodations. Food credits or provided buffets or continental eats. Specific rules on "misdeals"
Thank you for this detailed list of criteria ! It's a good thing, thus, that BJ tourneys I participate in across nearly all of Europe do feature these rules and formats, only things are : prizepool (too low to attract more than locals, except avid players like me) and/or buy-in (often too high and/or too risky (e.g. over 3 000 US$ for 35 entrants) if you want to reach for a 100 K+$ prizepool). What exactly is a "wild card" here ? Does it imply one player among the whole field gets drawn directly into the semis ? Or do the drawn players have to advance through some kind of "wild card table" first ? Again, thanks and greetings from Belgium !
KungFox; Answer to wild card. It could be either way you described. Traditionally, most tourneys have been a straight draw to the table. One recent tourney had six or seven players drawn to a playoff for the wild card.
Wild cards are good for the host casino as it keeps players from leaving as soon as they're knocked out. The Kewadin events in Michigan's Upper Peninsula used to simply take the highest non-advancing chip total - a massive mistake because players would depart as soon as they had been eliminated. Some of us tried to gently and diplomatically point this out to the BJT management but they stubbornly refused to see the light.
